The Family Photo
by Infatuated-Simplicity
Summary: Sasuke is not pleased to find that, as per usual, he and those attached to him are the centre of village gossip. Worse yet, he is sure Sarada can hear everything they are saying. But they have it all wrong. Sakura's strength was just one of the many qualities that made her his ideal life partner. SasuxSaku oneshot!


Authors note: If you have not been keeping up with Boruto then there will be some spoilers here. this is after the battle with Shin, and in the anime there is a scene where the Uchiha family is sitting down to dinner together. I imagine this happening after they get back to Konoha and before that dinner scene. Later they are shown to have posed for a family photo. I have incorporated that here as well. With out further ado, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters.

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Sasuke looked out at the crowd with a scowl. A couple of the villagers were at it again. Gossiping. He was used to it, of course. It tended to follow him around no matter where he went. How many years had he been the focus of their attention due to one thing or another?

What he was not used to was them discussing his wife, and close enough for both he and his daughter to hear them. It had been happening all morning and he had been doing his best not to let it get to him or make him upset. That was in part because he was trying to be a less temperamental man as an element of his road to redemption and also because he did not want to ruin one of the few afternoons he was able to spend freely with his family.

He had a feeling it was his presence in particular that had brought about the topic that these two busy bodies were discussing near by. He felt his fist clench in irritation. That phrase made it's way to his ears and he ground his teeth together.

"He only married her for her strength."

It was a comment more on him than her, but still the idea vexed him greatly. What a stupid thing to say. And a strange thing too, as if strength of any kind was a negative thing. It could have been interpreted in two ways really, but he knew based on the tone what they had intend to imply. What this woman meant, and he was sure more than a few others thought, was that his sole interest in his wife rested in her abilities as a kunoichi; that there was nothing more to it than that.

It was absurd.

Of course her strength was attractive, he would not deny that. And yes, he had wanted for his children to be strong, but that was hardly the most important thing. He had always been of the opinion that his children, merely by being his children, would be strong. It just so happened to be a perk that his partner in life happened to be just that; a partner. She was his equal, in many ways his superior, and their daughter had benefitted from that.

But Sakura's strength was most certainly not the sole factor in his choice to pursue her nor was it the most important. It had certainly not been the first thing that had attracted him to her. Contrary to popular belief the attraction had started many years before, not long after they had been placed on the same genin team.

She was special to him, and in his way he treated her differently by looking out for her, protecting her, and letting her get closer than any other girl ever had. He did not pull away from her and when she was close he did not protest her presence. Instead he accepted it more often than not. Even back then he realised that she complimented him. She was strong in ways that he was not.

And it was her emotional perservenace and sincerity that had garnered his initial affections. All these years later it was still at the top of his extensive list of reasons Sakura was the only woman for him. No other woman would have gone through what she did for him, supported him as she had through some of the most trying times in his life. That much he knew without a shadow of a doubt. No other woman had the strength to stand by him through all of his mistakes, chastise him when he needed it, forgive him when he could not apologise outright, and love him unconditionally. She had loved him through it all, without question or hesitation. She often joked that she had been too stubborn to give up on him, and that was true. She was stubborn and he was thankful for that stubborn streak that matched his own.

Most importantly she was the only woman that had ever made him feel anything other than irritation. Admittedly in his youth that had been at cross purposes to his ultimate goal and he had found the elevation of her in his heart and mind to be annoying. That in turn made her annoying by proxy for a time.

But no matter what, the one thing he could not do was ignore her. That was impossible; a fact she had discovered over many years of being around him. He did not always say something but he was always aware of her presence, her voice, and her well being. That had been one of his biggest hinderances to becoming the ultimate avenger and in his foolishness he had sought to extinguish the light that she brought to his life, wilfully walking in the dark. He had almost lost her to revenge, more than once.

Thankfully there were those who were wiser than he that had prevented such an outcome. Eventually he emerged on the other side of the tunnel a better man and she had been waiting with arms wide open in a way that just so purely Sakura.

He could never fully express his gratitude to her. He could never fully show her how thankful he was that she had let him back into her life after all the anguish he had caused. He knew she could have done better than him. She could have married someone who did not have to forfeit their inheritance to the state. She could have married someone who was good with his words, a romantic who was capable of filling her life with extravagant gestures and verbal expressions of love and devotion. She could have chosen someone who was there for her every day, standing next to her and supporting her. She could have chosen to be alone and dedicate her life solely to work and her abundant accomplishments. But she chose him. She kept choosing him.

And here these people were making it seem like they were at best a fool and at worst a pair of fools. The twits made it sound like they were the result of some poorly rationalised mistake. It almost sounded like they thought he had been so desperate to procreate that he did not care which woman it was with, so long as she was strong. Depending on who said it, they made it seem like Sakura was the lucky one when it was actually the exact opposite. He was the lucky one.

They made it sound as if this love he shared with the most wonderful woman in the world was worthy of their petty opinions. Whether it was their pity or contempt he wanted none of it. They could say whatever they wished. He and Sakura knew they had made the right choice. He knew that to be true. It was one of the few things in this life that he could depend on. He could depend on her, and she could depend on him.

"To-san," The little voice to his right made him turn. His daughter was watching him with concern and he realised that he had probably been scowling fiercely this entire time. "is everything alright?" she asked, through the wide red rim of her glasses.

He looked at his daughter who was watching him closely, and probably had been since they had left the house. "Ah," he grunted, doing his best to reassure her, but he was out of practice and if he was honest with himself he had never been very good at this sort of thing to begin with. He never seemed to say enough, but at the same time he could not think of more to say. Either way it seemed that Sarada did not fully believe him but chose not to push too hard.

He had come back with his family after the battle with Shin, unable to let his wife and child out of his sights until he knew they were back in the safety of the hidden village. He would pummel Naruto for bringing Sarada with him the next time they sparred. But if she was anything like he or Sakura he doubted the youngest Uchiha had given the man much choice.

Both Sharingan wielders turned back towards the reason they were here. The evening before had been a muddle of attempting to find lodgings, as he discovered that their home had been demolished by his beloved prior to Sarada's disappearance. That had taken all night and they had ended up securing a large penthouse apartment that would be suitable for their needs. They would be able to move in soon but in the mean time the landlady had an empty apartment that would suffice for the short term. The place had the most basic of furnishings, beds, tables and such. They had none of their personal affects but it would do for now. It had been outfitted for nins who went on long term missions and did not want to be responsible for much. The necessities were provided and having discovered some pots and pans the evening before Sakura had decided they would have a family meal the next night.

Sakura had been ready to go to the market when both her daughter and husband silently decided that they were going as well, something she had been shocked by. She was not complaining. Rather she was quite pleased to have her two favourite people at her side. It made them happy to see her with a bounce in her step and a beam that could have lit a city block.

"Anata," Sakura called with an excited smile. She already had his attention but she rarely knew in moments such as these that she did. "is there anything special you want me to pick up for tonight?"

Sasuke looked through the bag she had brought with them. It looked heavy but he knew that for Sakura it was quite light. She had all sorts of things pilled in there, namely all of his favourite foods. He had seen her pick them up one by one but now that he looked at it all together he was sure there was nothing in there that she liked. He would rectify that quickly. "Umeboshi."

Her eyes lit up and the lithe medic immediately began to head to a stall that she knew quite well. He stored it's name away for later. "I'll be right back!" she called back to them and he could not help the lightening of his features. He loved to see her happy.

Sarada looked up at him as if she was seeing something new, or as though she was surprised. "Ka-san loves those."

A sneer sent their way brought the irritation back to the forefront and he noticed that his daughter had seen it too. These foolish people. Did they not know that a child was standing close enough to hear them? Normally he would have ignored their speculations. It was none of their business why he had married Sakura nor what happened in his home, but this time Sarada was there to witness. He felt the need to at least address the issue.

"Sarada," he began, not really sure where to start. He did not want to be angry, yet he was. He did not want to sound like he was making excuses, because ultimately all of this fell back to him in one way or another. He was the idiot that left the village in search of vengeance and power. He had been the one to go to prison. He was the one who did not see what was right before him. But he was not the one to hold onto it. Many in the village appreciated him now but there were still a few stragglers who were wary.

The black head of hair hung a little as she kicked at a rock in her path. She did not look up when she began to speak, opting to keep her precious eyes trained on the ground before them. "Yeah... To-san, you and Ka-san are both strong. Ka-san's the strongest woman I've ever met."

There was no denying it, nor did he want to. As far as brute strength was concerned, even he did not compare. Sakura could shatter his bones with a flick of her wrist if she ever chose but she could mend them just as quickly. She was simply amazing. He was biased but he did not care if no one else agreed with him, though they should. "Aa?" he questioned, positive that there was more to this line of thought.

She peered up at him through her hair, embarrassed to be asking but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. "Is that why you married her?" She feared his answer. He knew that but he was not one for words. What existed between he and his wife was not something he could truly verbalise and he would not try. He would mess it up if he did and his daughter was confused enough as it stood.

"No." The look on her face told him he might have been a little harsh in his tone, but that had not been his intention. He was merely being direct as was his way.

"Sasuke-kun, I thought we might take a family photo while you're here since we don't have one and you'll be here for a few more days."

Sasuke did not say anything. A family photo? He supposed it as a bit like a team photo. He had never really been one for such things but he supposed that was part of what had gotten them into the whole Shin mess in the first place. She saw his answer in his countenance. "Great! I'll go book it with Jiro-san. He owes me a favor anyway."

The little studio was not far away, just a few store fronts down. Sakura disappeared once more with the jingle of a door bell. Sarada had paid close attention to the exchange. She had been paying attention to everything they did since he had come back. He was sure she was looking for something. She clasped her hands behind her back and squinted as she looked ahead.

He took a deep breath in, the smell of street noodle stands and treats reminding him of his childhood. Sarada was about to ask him something else but quickly stopped when Sakura's red shirt hovered back into view. She grabbed them both by the hands. "Sasuke-kun, Sarada-chan! He's free now. We can get a picture in quickly if we hurry." After not receiving any protests or resistance she pushed them both into the studio and ushered them through small hallway. The room at the back had a light green backdrop and bright lights set up in all the appropriate places. An older man greeted them from behind the lens but neither of them had an opportunity to greet him in return. Sakura set about dotting over them in a way that would have normally made them both glower. Today they would make an exception. "Let's fix your hair, wipe these glasses, cloak off..." she said, tugging and straightening their attire with an expert hand. With a nod to herself and then a smile at Jiro she set her hands on Sarada's shoulders. "Come on you two. Serious family photo time."

"Say cheese," the man before them said with a dull expression, clearly having verbalised that phrase once too many times that day.

The bright light went off a couple of times in conjunction with the click of the camera. Jiro handed Sakura a ticket and shuffled them out of the door so that he could prep for his next client. The bell jingled behind them as they stepped back into the street and Sakura clapped her hands together, a feat that should have been more difficult with all of her shopping in hand. "Oh, I am so excited! I can put it next to our team photos. I should send one to Karin-san and get one to Shizune-chan. Kaka-sensei will want one too."

Sasuke got a look at the list she had been carrying around in her bag and saw that there was one thing she had not yet crossed off. "Sakura,"

She followed his line of sight and her shoulders bunched in withheld laughter. "Heading to get them now. I haven't forgotten," she said with a smile and a wink, switching the large bag to her left hand. She had saved those for last specifically to avoid bruising them. "I asked Misha-san to set aside her best ones for us." She rushed off to grab the precious tomatoes, a favourite of both Sarada and Sasuke. She always had them in them in the house, but today she was getting the ones they both preferred and it just so happened that they were in peak season.

Sarada glanced up at her father who was so very guarded and stoic that she was not always sure what to make of him. Oddly her mother did and she supposed that was a comfort "To-san, do you..." She did not need to finish. He knew where this line of questioning was going. To-san do you love Ka-san. The unfinished portion of the question hung between them.

Sasuke had never liked for things to be ambiguous, at least not between his family. Contrary to popular belief he was aware that Sarada had questions and that they were valid. Perhaps not 'chase after your father who happened to be on a top secret mission and worry your mother silly' valid but from a child's perspective it was all rather conspicuous. He did not want his daughter to live in the same doubt that he had lived in growing up. He looked to her little face and then brought his dark eyes back up to his vibrantly stunning wife who was placing the coveted tomatoes into her bag of goodies. He felt his tension leave him, his features lighten, and his eyes brighten as they always did when his precious wife found herself in his presence.

"Ah."

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End comments: Not my favourite of the ideas that I came up with but I enjoyed it never the less. And I hope you do to. I have one more SasuxSaku fic in the works but then I think I will be done with them for a while. I have far more in mind for my other Sakura pairings. In any case I hope you had fun reading this. Reviews are always appreciated but please no flames. and as is always the case, I have not beta reader so please be patient with me. I do my best to spot and fix mistakes. Until next time!


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